Cosmetics are often made available in numerous variants to enable adaptation to various situations.
Thus, sun exposure products, e.g., sunscreens, can be provided in several levels of potency (e.g., varying SPFs), containing varying quantities of active agents, for example, filters, to enable adaption to differing sunlight conditions.
Users of such products can be faced with issues of selection when deciding what product to acquire and/or use for any particular set of sunlight conditions (e.g., intensity, directness, exposure times, etc.) This can lead to hesitation in selecting one level or potency over another, because the user may know in advance that sunlight conditions will vary. The user may choose to acquire several different products of different potencies, but such a solution may not be desirable, at least because of the space occupied by such the products and their expense.
Another choice may be to use the product having the highest potency, but such a solution may not be desirable because using maximum protection when conditions do not call for such protection presents several drawbacks. For example, all or portions of the sunlight spectrum are substantially prevented from reaching the skin, so it may not tan, thereby not developing physiological transformations that would provide it with its own protection (e.g., melanin production.)
One potential solution could be to take advice from a specialist prior to exposure to sunlight during a particular time, or to take measurements from an appliance configured to measure light flux. Such solutions may not be desirable because the specialist or the appliance may have limited availability, and may not provide advice day after day. Furthermore, additional attention may be exercised by a user when transforming the advice received into a selection of a product having the desired potency. For example, conversion tables may be provided, thereby making such selections unattractive and prone to error.
Issues relating to selecting products having different potencies also present themselves when conditions change, as for example, with products that provide protection against drying, high temperature, or low temperature.
Furthermore, for various reasons, numerous care products may be available in only one or several potencies, for example, as a result of manufacturing and/or economic considerations. Although manufacturers may desire to make a wide variety of products available to satisfy the needs of many users, they may determine, e.g., based on economic reasons, to restrict themselves to a smaller number of available products.
It is known that ultraviolet (UV) filters can be effective in protecting the color of the hair, particularly when used in suitable quantities and concentrations. Such concentrations can give create a rather “heavy” feel, i.e., an undesirable feeling for the user following application of the product. It is thus undesirable to use high concentrations if the amount of sunlight does not warrant use of such concentrations.
Users may also choose to use products with more moderate concentrations of protective active agents, e.g., to limit the undesirable “heavy” feeling following application. However, such concentrations may provide undesirably low levels of protection to higher levels of sunlight, thereby potentially resulting in damage, possibly irreversible, to the coloring and state of the hair.
It is also known that hair is sensitive to the electrical conductivity of the air. If the air has very low electrical conductivity, for example, in dry air, then the hair may become charged with static electricity, making brushing or combing the hair difficult or even impossible. Product manufacturers have been hesitant to create products to combat static electricity because, with regard to the hair, the phenomenon is rather rare. Further, while it may be possible to incorporate active agents in conventional products such as, for example, shampoos, to combat the effect of static electricity, such agents again can result in an undesirable “heavy” feel. Therefore, it may be undesirable to provide such agents to the hair when the ambient conditions are not such that the presence of such agents is desirable.
Issues related to selecting levels of potency for a product may be more difficult where ambient conditions vary in unforeseen ways over time. For example, while it is sometimes possible to predict how the level of sunlight is going to vary, it is more difficult to predict how temperature, humidity, or wind speeds may vary over time.
Thus, selecting a product may be a complicated exercise and may result in errors. This may be particularly true when precipitation or sudden changes in temperature or humidity occur during the course of a particular time period. Such variations may harm the quality of products that have been applied and may reduce their effects, particularly because it is not uncommon for a user to be taken by surprise by such changes and thus to have incorrect and/or undesirable levels of protection and/or cosmetic effect. For example, a person with a sophisticated hairdo (e.g., voluminous) may desire such a hairdo to maintain its shape, and may therefore apply a large amount of hair spray. However, large amounts of hair spray can result in poor or less than desirable visible appearance and feel. Moreover, such an application may prove undesirable if the weather remains dry and settled.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0064350 describes a method in which information is obtained concerning a person, e.g. data concerning age, skin type, or hair type, and provides advice about the use of products as a function of the person's location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,910 describes a device including an UV radiation sensor and calculation means that act as a function of skin type and the sunscreen product used to trigger an alarm when the received dose of UV may cause erythemia.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0005678 describes a packaging and dispenser device including a processor capable of receiving a weather forecast in order to take said forecast into consideration when recommending action to be taken by the user. That application also describes a hygrometer configured to display a recommendation concerning the frequency with which a substance should be applied or the desire to change the nature of the substance used. The processor may receive information delivered by a humidity sensor, and also, where desired, from other sensors, e.g. a sensor configured for contact with the skin, a temperature sensor, or a solar radiation sensor.
Packaging and dispenser devices are also known that may enable the sunscreen index in the delivered preparation to be adjusted manually, by means of a slider provided on the stopper.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0108247 A1 discloses a packaging and dispenser device enabling the relative proportions of two substances to be varied manually as a function of the properties desired for the preparation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,247,140 describes a dispenser provided with a UV radiation sensor and means for indicating that the received UV level is above a predefined threshold.
Application DE 20 200 40 11 856 discloses a packaging and dispenser device having two or more cartridges containing different compositions and means for mixing the compositions. The device also includes adjustment means that may enable the mixing of the compositions to be controlled as a function of information provided by a sensor that is for application to a region to be treated, e.g. for the purpose of determining moisture content.
U.S. 2006/0258946 A1 describes a container provided with a device such as a skin moisture sensor or various other sensors.